Raven S100A N54693
6 November 1994 · Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 6 November 1994 at about 20:30 local time, a Raven S100A registered N54693 was involved in an accident near Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States. 6 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.5902, -105.2196
- Aircraft
- Raven S100A
- Registration
- N54693
- Category
- Balloon
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Albuquerque → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW95LA046
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE HIGH WIND CONDITION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER A 6 HOUR FLIGHT, WITH 1 HOUR OF FUEL REMAINING, THE BALLOON PILOT ELECTED TO LAND. HE LANDED WHERE THE TERRAIN WAS STILL RELATIVELY OPEN, AFTER FLIGHT OVER OTHER AREAS THAT WERE SUITABLE FOR LANDING. THE ON-BOARD GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) INDICATED THE GROUND SPEED WAS 32 MPH. THE PILOT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED 'SIGNIFICANT WIND SHEAR' DURING THE LANDING APPROACH, AND HE VENTED THE ENVELOPE 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE BALLOON TOUCHED DOWN AND WAS DRAGGED ACROSS THE GROUND. THERMAL ACTIVITY CAUSED THE BALLOON TO ASCEND, BUT BECAUSE MOST OF THE HOT AIR HAD BEEN VENTED, IT DESCENDED BACK TO THE GROUND AND LANDED HARD. THE PILOT SAID THE WIND HAD BEEN FORECAST TO REMAIN RELATIVELY CALM THROUGHOUT THE DAY; HOWEVER, AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, HE ESTIMATED IT TO BE AT 28 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 33 KNOTS. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT 107 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE LAUNCH SITE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 1994 | Cessna 140 | Espanola, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 1994 | Mooney M20J | Gallup, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1994 | Piper PA-32-300 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1994 | I C A Brasov IS-28B2 | Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1994 | Bell 206B | Belen, New Mexico, United States | Aero West Management Services | No injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 1994 | Cessna 172M | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |